A Bit of This and A Dash of That

Bushels & Babes

2012-07-09T16:36:00.002-05:00

For new menu ideas come check out my new blog at BushelsandBabes.com! You can also follow us on Twitter @BushelsandBabes or on Pinterest!

Think Spring!

2012-02-19T22:24:00.000-06:00

As you might guess by my lack of posts over the last month I have been extremely busy. Weekends have been jam packed with birthday parties, christenings and catching up on work. This weekend was the first weekend in a LONG time that we had no commitments. It was so nice. Yesterday we took S to lunch at All Aboard Diner. She is slightly obsessed with trains currently so she really enjoyed it. We got to eat around the counter where the train brings out your food. Every time the train came out she yelled "Here it comes!" It was super cute.

Today I got quite a bit done around the house which makes me extremely happy. What was even better than getting some cleaning done was that I actually had time to make dinner this evening. Granted it wasn't anything fancy but it was actually a home cooked meal for a change. I realize that this menu isn't really appropriate for a Chicago Winter meal but I think I had myself convinced it was Spring since it was nice and sunny out and I was a cleaning machine.

Menu

New York Strip Steaks
Roasted Potatoes
Watermelon & Baby Arugula salad

I got the recipe for the Watermelon & Baby Arugula salad from the Food Network Favorite Recipes cookbook. The recipe serves 4 to 6. I received the cookbook as a Christmas gift (thank you Lisa). This was the first recipe I made from it but there a bunch of really great recipes so I'm sure I will be sharing more of them in the future.

Salad:
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
4 pounds watermelon, preferably seedless, rind removed, cut into 3/4 inch cubes (about 8 cups)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
8 cups baby arugula (about 4 ounces)
3/4 cup crumbled ricotta salata or feta cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/2 cup pitted Niçoise olives (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper

Dressing:
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1) For the salad: To mellow the onion, soak it in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain well, pat dry, and put in a serving bowl

2) Meanwhile, make the dressing: Whisk the vinegar, salt and black pepper to taste in a bowl. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, starting with a few drops and then adding the rest of the oil in a steady stream to make a smooth dressing.

3) Toss the watermelon and oregano with the onions and the dressing, taking care not to break up the watermelon chunks. (The salad can be made to this point up to 30 minutes in advance)

4)When ready to serve, toss the arugula with the dressed watermelon. Scatter the cheese, olives (if desired) and a generous grinding of black pepper over the top.

Note - I used Feta and added the olives. The salad was absolutely delicious. It would be a great salad for Spring/Summer. I also skipped the step of mellowing the onion.

For the potatoes, I had some small red potatoes on hand. I cut then into small chunks. Cut up some small chunks of Spanish onion. Combined them in a zip lock back with a drizzle of olive oil. Mixed well. Sprinkled with Montreal Steak Seasoning. Removed them from the bag and placed them in an oven safe dish with a lid. I baked them on 350 for approximately 30 minutes.

I marinated the steaks with a little Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and seasoned each side with Hula Girl Coffee Rub. I cooked these on the stove using a grill pan. I would estimate that I cooked them for about 7-8 minutes on either side for a medium temperature.

Chili in Sourdough Bread bowl

2012-01-21T13:00:00.002-06:00

Originally my in-laws were coming over for dinner last night but plans changed when we ended up with a snowstorm. We got somewhere between 6-8 inches of snow. I ended up making a pot of chili which was great after our sledding adventure with S. This was S's first time playing in the snow. It was absolutely hilarious. At first she couldn't move in her snow suit; she was like the little boy from the Christmas story waddling through our house. Before we even got outside she tried to lean over to pick something up and just toppled over. Once we got outside she just stood there unable to move. But she loved it! When Chris first put her in the sled, she said "I'm stuck." But once they got moving after an initial "uh-oh" she was having a blast. Her reaction to the snow was priceless. While we were only outside for about 20 minutes, we had a great time and I think it made my year.

Back to the chili, this recipe is very similar to the 3 B Chili recipe I posted a few months ago. This is actually a simplified version of it.

2 cups of diced yellow onion
1 lb of 85/15 ground beef
1 clove minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder and ground cumin
1 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning
1/4 teaspoon each of ground ancho chile and ground guajillo chile

In a Dutch oven, heat a tablespoon of olive and brown the beef along with the onion garlic and spices. Drain the grease.

Add the following to the pot.

14 oz can each of Cannellini beans, Red Kidney beans, chili beans, drained and rinsed
14 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes
2 cups of diced tomatoes
3/4 tablespoon double concentrate tomato paste
1/2 cup of water
7 1/4 oz can of Mexican tomato sauce, I use El Pato Salsa Chile Fresco
2 tablespoons of chili powder
1 teaspoon of sugar

Cook on low with the top on for a few hours, stirring regularly.

I took sour dough bread and removed the middle and then filled it with the chili. Garnished with some green onion and cheddar cheese. The best part of the bread bowl is you don't need crackers.

Pepper Steak

2012-01-21T12:21:00.001-06:00

I had a bunch of bell peppers that I needed to use up this week. I figured this would be the perfect recipe to use them in. My mom use to make this all of the time when we were kids. I had all of the veggies and everything prepared; my mom was kind enough to get this going for us since I was at work late this week. This is great over your favorite brown or white rice served with a side salad.

Ingredients
3/4 lb of sirloin tip steak, cut into strips
1 large green pepper, seeded and sliced
1 large red pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 large Spanish onion, diced into large pieces
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 beef boullion cube
1 cup of water
14 oz can of diced tomatoes
Approximately 1 tablespoon of Cornstarch

Directions
In a Dutch oven, brown the meat and onion. Combine the bouillon cube with a cup of hot water to create broth. Add the broth, soy sauce (I use low sodium) and pepper slices to the meat and onion. Simmer on low for about 20 - 30 minutes. In a bowl combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with some water to make a paste. Add the cornstarch mixture to the pot and mix in well. The purpose of this is to thicken the sauce/gravy. Once the sauce has thickened up you will add the can of tomato included the juice. This will thin it back out slightly. Cook for another 15 minutes or so on low.

Serve over rice.

This meal was rated 3.5 asparagus spears

Rachael Ray's Fire-Roasted Manhattan Clam Chowder

2012-01-21T12:01:00.001-06:00

Last Wednesday we needed a quick dinner because my mom, sister and I had a concert to go to. My mom was nice enough to make us clam chowder so we could eat before we left. We just had this with some crusty bread and it was a delicious and filling meal. My mom has been making this recipe for a while and always talks about how good it is; I would have to agree I really enjoyed it.

This recipe was published in the November 2007 issue of the Rachel Ray Magazine.

Ingredients

6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise 1/4 inch thick
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 ribs celery with leafy greens, stalks and leaves finely chopped separately
1 large baking potato, peeled and chopped
One 28-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
One 14.5-ounce can chicken broth
Two 10-ounce cans baby clams or chopped clams packed in water, liquid reserved
Salt and pepper

Directions

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders, about 6 minutes; discard the fat. Add the olive oil and garlic and cook, stirring, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion and celery stalks and cook, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the potato, the tomatoes and their juice and the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potato is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Stir in the clams with their liquid and cook to warm through. Stir in the chopped celery leaves and season with salt and pepper.

Minestrone Soup

2012-01-16T23:49:00.002-06:00

What better to do on a snowy winter day than make some Minestrone soup? This recipe is super easy and is definitely worth the wait.

32oz vegetable broth

11/4 cups each of celery, carrot, red onion (diced)

15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

15 oz can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 teaspoon dried thyme

3 1/4 cups water mixed with 2 extra large vegetable bouillon cubes

1 tablespoon fresh sage (I used some that I froze from our CSA)

Pinch of kosher salt

A couple turns of ground pepper

28 oz can of diced tomato

2 bay leaves

Combine all of the ingredients above in a crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours if you want the veggies to be on the softer side. Cook on high for four hours if you want your veggies to have a bit of a crunch to them.

30-40 minutes before you are ready to eat add the following:

2 cups fresh spinach

1 1/4 cups diced zucchini and summer squash (I used some that I froze earlier from our CSA)

1 1/2 cups of tri-color pasta shells

Garnish with some grated parmesan.

While this was an original recipe, I'm happy to report that I found my Soup & Stew Cookbook. Hopefully I will be able to share a few more soup recipes before National Soup Month comes to an end. For more soup recipes see my post National Soup Month.

This meal was rated 4 asparagus spears

National Soup Month

2012-01-12T23:27:00.000-06:00

January is National Soup Month, to celebrate I thought I would provide a consolidated list of some of the soup recipes I have previously posted.

Chicken Sausage and Vegetable Soup

Homemade Chicken Soup

Roasted Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Pancetta and Vegetable Soup

Parsnip and Potato Soup

Carribbean Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup

Butternut Squash Soup with Crisp Pancetta

Last week I made a delicious Southwestern Chicken Sausage Corn Chowder (it was rated 3.5 asparagus spears) however I cannot find the piece of paper where I wrote down the recipe. This does not make me happy since it was an experimental recipe, so I really have no idea of what the measurements were for each ingredient. Hopefully I will find it so that I can share it with you.

I have the ingredients to make Minestrone so I plan on making it sometime this weekend. Keep an eye out for my recipe in the next few days.

Roasted Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

2012-01-12T22:52:00.000-06:00

After some unseasonably warm weather in Chicago the past few weeks we finally got a taste of winter today. We are under a "Winter Storm Warning" until tomorrow morning with an expected snowfall of 4-8 inches. I must say I am kind of excited about the snow since S got a sled, snowsuit and boots for Christmas. I can't wait to see her reaction when we go out to play in it. The only issue is currently both her and I have horrible colds; I am hoping they are gone by Saturday so we can have some winter family fun.

Tonight I decided in honor of January being National Soup month and the fact that soup was the only thing that sounded good, I would pull together a quick Roasted Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. Earlier this week I roasted a chicken with the intent of having leftovers for soup, see my previous post Roast Chicken with Carrots, Parsnips and Potatoes. As a result this soup can be made in an hour (maybe an hour and fifteen).

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup diced celery
1 1/4 cup diced carrot
1 1/4 cup diced Spanish onion
40 oz Swanson's Natural Goodness Chicken Broth (1/3 less sodium)
3 cups of water mixed with 2 Extra Large Chicken Bouillon cubes
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
8 oz package Lundberg Organic Wild Rice
3 cups of Roast Chicken (primarily white meat)

In a Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil then add the celery, onion and carrots. Season vegetables with salt and pepper. Saute for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables soften. Add the chicken broth, water with bouillon, bay leaf, thyme and rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and add the chicken. Place top on Dutch oven and cook for one hour stirring occasionally. The soup ready once the rice is fully cooked.

This meal was rated 4.5 asparagus spears

Roast Chicken with Carrots, Parsnips and Potatoes

2012-01-12T22:10:00.003-06:00

As you can see I am a little behind on posting since the New Year. I'm not really sure how it is already January 12th, the last two weeks seem like a complete blur. It's hard to believe my new nephew is already a month old today!

Earlier this week I made Roast Chicken with Carrots, Parsnips and Potoates for dinner. It was really quite delicious! I must thank my mom for getting everything together and putting it in the oven for me so we could eat at a reasonable hour. I made this with the intent of having the Chicken and Vegetables for dinner one night and making Chicken soup with the extra meat later in the week.

Ingredients
Whole Chicken
3 parsnips
3 large carrots
10 small red potatoes

In a Dutch oven, place sliced carrots, sliced parsnips and whole baby red potatoes. Drizzle the vegetables with about one tablespoon of olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper. Place the whole chicken on top of the vegetables. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and some fresh rosemary leaves. I had my mom add two bone in chicken breasts so that I had extra meat to make chicken soup later in the week. She tucked them in under the chicken so they didn't dry out. My chicken was right about 3 lbs so if you have a larger chicken you don't need the extra meat.

Cook on 350 degrees until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees. It took about 2 hours for my chicken to be ready.

This meal was rated 4.5 asparagus spears

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T00:48:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year! Welcome 2012! I'm looking forward to an exciting year.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T11:18:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating with your family & friends. This morning we had Gingerbread Challah French Toast after we opened presents. This is going to be a quick post so I can get back to playing with Stella and her new toys.

In a bowl combine 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon of ground clove and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of the mixture to 1/2 cup of Mascarpone and mix well.

I used the Challah bread from Trader Joes as I have in the past with my other French toast recipes. I also used the TJ brand of Mascarpone cheese.

Because I was using two slices of bread I tried to slice them a little thinner than 1 inch. In a bowl whisk together 3 eggs and approximately 1/4 cup milk. To the egg mixture add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add the remainder of the gingerbread seasoning to the mixture and an additional pinch of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg.

Melt butter in the pan before cooking the french toast. Spread a generous amount of the gingerbread mascarpone on 1 side of each slice of bread. Put the slices together like a sandwich with the Mascarpone in the middle and dip the bread into the egg mixture. Be sure both sides are covered. Let excess drip off back into bowl. Cook in pan until slightly browned on both sides. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and some pomegranate seeds.

Her reaction when she saw all of the presents under the tree

Very excited about her new Sid the Science Kid Microphone

This meal was rated 4.5 asparagus spears

Day 12: Christmas Dinner Menu

2011-12-20T23:59:00.000-06:00

Day 12 ends with a Christmas Dinner menu. We are not having Christmas at our house this year otherwise I would be making this. The last time I made it was Christmas 2009 when we told our parents that I was expecting; that seems like such a long time ago.

Menu
Arugula-Orange Salad with Pomegranate-White Wine Vinaigrette
Horseradish and Garlic Prime Rib
Roasted Wild Mushrooms
Roasted Asparagus or Fresh Green Beans with Sautéed Shallots
Mashed Potatoes

A delicious wine to pair with the Prime Rib is 2005 Finca Allende Rioja. Be sure you open up the bottle at least two hours before eating to let it breathe.

I made the Arugula-Orange Salad a couple weeks ago and actually included it in Day 3 of the Twelve Days of Christmas Celebration. I love making this salad this time of year; not only is it really tasty but I just love the colors of it. I highly recommend making the dressing with the Raspberry vinegar, it's delish.

As for the Prime Rib I have a few notes (1) I usually cut back on the amount of sea salt I use, I probably use closer to 1/4 cup versus the 1/2 cup the recipe states and (2) you must save the juices from the prime rib, it makes wonderful gravy. I have made this recipe a number of times and everyone always enjoys it.

I am sure when my husband reads this post he will have something to say about he shocking fact that I recommended a menu that contains asparagus and mushrooms. Ha, ha the jokes on me; I can't help it they go well together. This is just more support to why he decided to come up with an asparagus spear rating system for my meals. If you aren't a big asparagus person, another option is fresh green beans with sautéed shallots.

I have used two different roasted mushroom recipes in the past and both are equally as good. The first is Bobby Flay's Oven Roasted Wild Mushrooms with Garlic and Thyme and the second is Tyler Florence's Wild Mushrooms, you will be pleased with either option.

Fresh Green Beans with Sautéed Shallots
Trim the ends off your green beans and blanch them in boiling salted water for approximately 5 minutes. Drain from water and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Meanwhile in a separate pan, sauté diced shallots (2-3 large shallots) in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Let the shallots soften and brown slightly. Then add the green beans to the pan and heat them back through, stirring regularly. Season with Kosher Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste.

Roasted Asparagus
Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears, place in single layer on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Cook on 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

I always make my standard mashed potato recipe you can refer to my earlier blog posts for the recipe. I have made them so many times I don't measure anything anymore so it was difficult when I tried documenting the recipe. In any case you can refer to my Thanksgiving post if you are making roughly 5 pounds of potatoes or my Garlic Herb Pork Loin post if you are making a smaller portion.

I probably won't be posting again before the holidays as I will be busy finishing up my Christmas shopping. Yes, I am that person. I don't know why I waited until the bitter end. I normally really enjoy Christmas shopping; I think it's so fun to look around and really find a fitting gift for everyone. Unfortunately I don't know that I have been as creative this year since I am in crunch time now. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and enjoys spending time with their families.

Merry Christmas!

Day 11: Christmas Brunch Menu Ideas

2011-12-19T23:12:00.000-06:00

Day 11 of the Twelve Days of Christmas Celebration continues with a some menu ideas for Christmas brunch.

Menu
Spiral Cut Ham
Vegetable Strata
Fruit Salad
Assorted Muffins or Crumb Cake
Tangerine or Pomegrante Mimosas

For the spiral cut ham all you have to do is make sure you heat it through. Most hams have heating instructions on the outside package. Adding a ham glaze is always a good option. If you are having your brunch a little later in the day you can always put out some Parkerhouse rolls and assorted mustards in case people want to make a ham sandwich.

I always find a fruit salad with canteloupe, honeydew, blueberries, strawberries, kiwi and mango to be delicious.

In an effort to save time I usually just go with a muffin mix that comes in a box. Betty Crocker or Krusteaz Lemon Poppyseed muffins are always a good option. Another great option is Krusteaz Cranberry Orange muffin mix. If you want to go the crumb cake route you can't go wrong with Krusteaz Cinnamon Crumb Cake mix.

Vegetable Strata
I got this recipe from In Style magazine, it's from the January 2005 issue. I use to love when In Style had the party guide/entertaining section of the magazine; I collected a lot of great recipes over the years when they had it.

1 loaf (12 oz) day old French bread
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
10 eggs
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 can (13 3/4 oz) artichoke hearts, sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Spray 13" x 9" x 2" glass baking dish with cooking spray. Slice bread in half length-wise; butter and cut into cubes. In nonstick skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, red pepper, and mushrooms; saute 4-5 minutes. In a bowl combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper. To assemble, place bread in single layer in baking dish. Top with vegetables, artichokes and half the Monterey Jack cheese. Pour egg mixture over; top with remaining Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheeses. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, uncovered for 50-60 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

For the mimosas, Domaine Chandon Brut Classic is always a good bubble option. If you go the tangerine juice route you can always finish off the mimosa with a splash of Grand Marnier. Otherwise pomegrante juice is another great option and quite festive from a holiday color perspective.

If you don't like mimosas, you can always do a bloody mary bar. I really enjoy the Zing Zang bloody mary mix. Don't forget your celery spears, stuffed olives and celery salt. If you are in the Chicago area and can find Twisted Spoke bloody mary mix that is another great option.

Happy planning!

Slow Cooked Pork Chili

2011-12-19T22:25:00.000-06:00

As you know my sister had a baby last week (Happy One Week Birthday L!); so I thought I would make her an easy meal she could just heat up over the weekend. I decided to go with a chili since they both like spicy meals but I got a little daring and tried out a new recipe. This was another one I just made up as I went along so I was concerned about how it might turnout. But I think this may be my favorite chili recipe yet. This recipe is a two day process since you need to slow cook the pork one day and then prepare the chili the following day.

Ingredients for slow cooking the Pork:
Olive Oil
3lb Pork Butt Roast, trimmed
1 cup chicken broth
1 large Spanish onion, chopped (reserve 3/4 cup for later)
2 large cloves of garlic, chopped
Kosher salt

Ingredients for Salsa Verde:
10 tomatillos, husked
1 can of diced green chilies
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
handful of cilantro, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground guajillo chili
3/4 cup diced Spanish onion

Ingredients for Pork Rub:
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground guajillo chili
a pinch of kosher salt
a couple turns of pepper mill

Preparing the Pork:
In a Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cover pork roast liberally with the rub. Sear each side of the roast until it is browned. Transfer roast to crock pot. Add all but the 3/4 cup of reserved onion to the dutch oven along with the chopped 2 large garlic cloves and 2 pinches of kosher salt. Cook for a couple minutes until onions soften. Remove and add to crock pot with the pork roast. Add the cup of chicken broth to the Dutch oven and scrap the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add to crock pot.

Making the Salsa Verde:
On a foiled lined pan, drizzle tomatillos with olive oil and a little salt. Roast on 350 degrees until soft. Once softened add to blender along with the can of diced green chilies, 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, the handful of cilantro, 1/4 teaspoon of guajillo chili and 3/4 cup of diced onion. Blend until smooth.
Add salsa to the crock pot.

Slow cooking the pork:
Cook pork butt on low for 6 hours on low or until the meat can be easily shredded with two forks.
Let the meat cool and store in a container with some of the liquid from the crock pot. Make sure the shredded pork is coated well with the liquid. Reserve the remaining liquid separately. Refrigerate over night.

Ingredients for Chili
1 3/4 cup diced Spanish onion
Kosher Salt
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup of reserved liquid from cooking the pork
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground paprika
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground guajillo chili
10 oz diced tomato and green chilies, drained
3 tablespoon poblano pepper, chopped
7 3/4 oz can of Mexican Style tomato sauce
1 1/4 cup diced tomato, no juice
14 oz can diced tomato with juice
2 15.5 oz cans of Pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 15.5 Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Shredded pork

Preparing the chili:
The next day heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a Dutch oven, add 1 3/4 cup of diced Spanish onion, a pinch of salt and 2 garlic cloves chopped. Add the container of shredded pork, the reserved liquid from cooking the pork, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon each of ground paprika, onion powder and garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon of ground guajillo chili. Heat on low stirring frequently. Add the can of tomatoes and green chilies let simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and beans. Stir and place top on lid of Dutch oven. Cook on low for 2-3 hours stirring regularly.

Garnish with slices of avocado, grated Cojita cheese and Donkey Chips (tortilla chips).

This meal was rated 4 asparagus spears

The rating above is from Chris. I also asked my sister and her husband to also rate the chili since they have had my other chili recipes in the past. Becky rated it 4 asparagus spears and Thierry rated it 3.5 asparagus spears, he lowered his rating because he prefers his chili to be more spicy.

Day 10: Egg Nog Parfait

2011-12-18T23:30:00.000-06:00

Day 10 of the Twelve Days of Christmas Celebration continues with a holiday dessert idea, the Egg Nog Parfait. This is a very quick and easy recipe and works great for parties.

Ingredients
1 quart Egg Nog
1 12 oz container of Cool Whip
1/2 cup of Bourbon or Cream Sherry
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg

Directions
Pour Egg Nog into bowl and fold in Cool Whip. Add Bourbon and Nutmeg. Pour into parfait glasses and freeze. Let stand at room temperature before serving. Add additonal Cool Whip on top. If you are looking to add color you can always decorate the top of them with a few festive colored sprinkles or peppermint chips.

Serves 10-12

Day 9: Holiday Party Appetizers

2011-12-17T12:52:00.001-06:00

Day 9 of the Twelve Day of Christmas Celebration continues with a couple Holiday appetizer ideas. Last night we went to a Christmas party that some friends from work had. They have it every year and it's always a blast. Jen made some delicious appetizers (my favorite are the bacon wrapped dates), so I thought today rather than posting more cookie ideas I would post some of my favorite appetizer recipes. These are all dishes I have come across over the years so I am not sure where they all came from originally.

Bacon Wrapped Dates

12 strips bacon, cut in half crosswise
24 pitted dates
1/4 pound Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, cut into small chunks

1. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until it has rendered some fat and begins to turn translucent; don't let it brown at all. Remove from pan and drain thoroughly on paper towels.

2. Make a slit in each date (you can also pop out the pit very easily if you couldn't find pitted dates!) and stuff with a small piece of cheese. Wrap in a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place wrapped dates in a baking dish.

**At this point, you can cover and refrigerate up to 36 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 375 and bake the date until the bacon is crisp, 10-12 minutes

Lump Crab Dip

This is one of the easiest recipes you will ever make and it's always a big hit.

1 container of lump crab meat

1 8oz package of cream cheese,softened (I usually use the light)

1 jar of cocktail sauce

Place the block of cream cheese on the platter Pour some cocktail sauce over the cream cheese you want a good amount on these so that everyone gets some of the cocktail sauce with the spread; I would say 1/4 to 1/3 cup. Place lump crab meat (drained if there is any liquid in the container) over the top of the cream cheese/cocktail sauce. Eat on crackers, surprisingly enough Ritz crackers are the best with this. You can even by the ones that look like snowflakes if you want to be more festive.

Artichoke Dip

1 can artichoke hearts, drain and chop

1 cup mayo (I use light)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Mix everything together and place in an oven safe dish. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Serve with crackers.

Caprese

I always find a tomato and mozzarella salad to be a great holiday party appetizer not only because it's tasty but it has the colors of the season.

Slice tomatoes, fresh mozzarella balls and place on a platter alternating the slices of tomato and mozzarella. Drizzle with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with chopped fresh basil. Add a little fresh ground pepper.

And I am always came for an antipasto platter with fine cheeses and meat, marinated olives and mushrooms. Served with assorted crackers and breads.

Day 8: Kolachky

2011-12-16T23:30:00.000-06:00

Day 8 of the Twelve Days of Christmas Celebration continues with Kolachky. I never realized that publishing Christmas cookie recipes was going to take me down memory lane. Here is another recipe my mom makes every year. This recipe is apparently one she got while I was in grade school because the name on the recipe card is the mom of one of the kids I grew up with, so thank you Mrs. Bolz for sharing this recipe with my mom.

Ingredients
1 lb margarine
8 tablespoons sugar
4 cups flour
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Solo pie fruit filling

Mix margarine sugar and vanilla with beaters. Add the flour and milk and mix with hands. Take about a teaspoon of the dough and roll it into a ball. Place on cookie sheet using the back of a spoon make and indentation. Fill this will about 3/4 teaspoon of Solo pie fruit filling. Bake on 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar once they have cooled.

I apologize about not posting yesterday; we were busy with work and holiday parties. I also wanted to be sure to include a photo of these so I had to wait for my mom to drop off a few of the ones she made. Thanks mom, you're the best!

Day 7: Toasted Cecchi, Almonds, and Pistachios

2011-12-14T21:14:00.002-06:00

Day 7 of the Twelve Days of Christmas celebration continues with another homemade holiday gift idea. I saw this recipe a couple years ago during one of my marathon Food Network viewing sessions. Oh, those were the days...I use to thoroughly enjoy lazy weekends where I had nothing to do and could just veg on the couch watching endless hours of television. This recipe is courtesy of Giada de Laurentis and makes a wonderful gift. It is also a great snack to have out during a cocktail party. I have made it a number of times and it is quite tasty!

Toasted Cecchi, Almonds and Pistachios

Ingredients

1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo (cecchi) beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
1 cup shelled pistachios
1 cup raw almonds
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the garbanzo beans on a foil-lined baking sheet. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and spread the beans in a single layer. Place in the oven and bake until golden, about 30 minutes.

Remove the garbanzo beans from the oven. Add the remaining ingredients to the garbanzo beans and carefully stir to coat all the beans and nuts. Spread the mixture out to a single layer. Bake for 10 more minutes. Let cool slightly and place in serving bowls.

Day 6: Lemon Almond Bars

2011-12-13T22:26:00.004-06:00

Day 6 of the Twelve Days of Christmas celebration continues with Lemon Almond bars. This is another recipe that my mom makes and they are delightful! She doesn't recall where she initially found the recipe because she has had it for years but it is from Kay Galbraith. My mom made a batch of these this week and brought me a few, yum!

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Topping:
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons grated lemon rind
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds

In bowl, cream together butter, sugar and salt until light; stir in flour. Press into ungreased 9" x 13" baking pan; bake at 325 degrees for about 35 minutes or until golden.

Topping: In bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, flour, lemon rind and juice until smooth; pour over base. Sprinkle with almonds; bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until set. Let cool on rack; cut into bars.

Makes 30 bars.

On another note, I got to go to the hospital to meet my adorable nephew. He is precious!

Day 5: Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-12-12T22:07:00.000-06:00

Day 5 of the Twelve Days of Christmas continues with Jean's Chocolate Chip cookies. The key ingredient to this recipe is Crisco Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening. My mom received this recipe when they lived up in Wisconsin from one of Megan's friend; prior to that she had always made your standard Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip cookies. You have got to try this recipe if you like Chocolate Chip cookies, they are delicious!

I would like to wish my mom a Happy Birthday today and Congratulations to my sister and her husband on the birth of their son Lucien Joseph!! We are so excited to meet you!

Ingredients

1 cup Butter Crisco
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 large egg
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
8ox or more of chocolate chips (we use 12 oz)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Blend Butter Crisco, sugar and brown sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla to mixture, continue to blend. Slowly add your dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder to mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop rounded tablespoons full of dough to cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees. Let cookies cool slightly before removing from sheets.

Day 4: Candied Pecans

2011-12-11T20:55:00.000-06:00

Day 4 of the Twelve Days of Christmas is Candied Pecans. If you are looking for a gift idea, fill a cute holiday tin or bowl with this delicious treat!

Ingredients
4 cups pecans
1 cup sugar
1 dash of salt
2 egg whites
1/2 cup butter

Directions
Stiffly beat egg to form peaks. Fold in sugar and salt. Fold in pecans. Melt butter in 9 x 12 pan. Place nuts in pan and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees stirring every 10 minutes. Let pecans cool, you may need to break apart them if any stuck together in large chunks.

Turkey Chipotle Chili

2011-12-11T15:27:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I decided I was going to make Turkey chili and to mix things up a bit I figured I would just make up the recipe as I went along. Thankfully it turned out really well. I will warn you ahead of time, the chili has quite a kick to it. You could always use less chipotle pepper or adobo sauce if you would like something a little milder.

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey thigh
1/2 lb ground turkey breast
2 cups diced red onion
2 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 tablespoon Montreal Steak seasoning
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced
4 teaspoons of adobo sauce
28 oz can of Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
14 oz can Diced Tomatoes with Sea Salt
6 oz can of Tomato paste
18 oz water
1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Grated White Cheddar for topping

Directions
In a dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil, saute the red onion and garlic and brown the turkey meat. Season the meat and onions with Montreal Steak seasoning and salt and pepper. Once the meat is cooked add the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce. Mix well. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Stirring occasionally. Add kidney and cannelloni beans. Stir and place the lid on the dutch oven. Reduce heat to low and cook for a couple of hours. Be sure to continue to stir occasionally. Serve with White Cheddar cheese as a garnish.

I made some corn bread to eat with the chili rather than crackers.

This meal was rated 4 asparagus spears

Day 3: Holiday Dinner Party

2011-12-10T23:02:00.001-06:00

Last night I had a small gathering for my mom's birthday, Becky & Thierry, Megan & Pat and my parents all came over to celebrate. We had a great time and I hope everyone enjoyed the food.

Menu

Appetizers
Assorted Cheeses and Crackers
Marinated Olives
Meatballs

Main Course
Arugula Orange Salad with Pomegranate White Wine Vinaigrette
Beef Tenderloin
Pan-Seared Scallops with Black Grapes and Almonds
Mashed Parsnips and Potatoes
Roasted Asparagus

Dessert
Chocolate Cake

My sister Becky brought the appetizers; the cheese tray consisted of Midnight Moon, 15 Year Aged Cheddar and Camembert. The meatballs are a great appetizer and are super easy to make. You take a 12 oz. bottle of chili sauce and a 12 oz jar of grape jelly and heat them in a pan on low (stirring frequently) until combined. You then take a package of frozen cocktail meatballs and add them to the mixture, coating them evenly. You can either continue to cook then in the pot or move them to a crock pot to heat them through.

Arugula Orange Salad with Pomegranate
White Wine Vinaigrette

I have made this salad for Christmas a couple of times and I absolutely love it. Not only does it look great on a plate because of all the colors but it tastes great. The only thing that is rather time consuming is de-seeding the pomegranate, it's also quite messy. In case you have never cut a pomegranate before this link has very helpful instructions with how to cut and de-seed a pomegranate.

The beef tenderloin was prepared the same way I have made it in the past; check out the post called Good Food, Great Friends from July for the details on how to make the marinade. I have also made the Scallops before, although since Champagne grapes are not in season this time of year I had to go with the Black grapes. I didn't photograph them last night but you can check out my post called Pan-Seared Scallops with Champagne Grapes from August when I made them for the first time. The only thing I was disappointed about with this recipe last night was the coloring of the sauce; it was a purple-gray. I can only assume this was from the different type of grape I used. The scallops still had great flavor.

Mashed Parsnip and Potato

I found the mashed parsnip and potato recipe on the food network website; it's a Tyler Florence recipe. Any recipe I have ever made of his has been delicious so I figured I couldn't go wrong with this, and I was right, it was delicious. I ended up making this a couple hours ahead of time and then moved it to a casserole dish with a lid. About 45 minutes before dinner I put it in the oven to heat it back through. It turned out great. One note I would make is to be sure the parsnips are really tender when you start mashing as I had a couple pieces I had to pull out because they wouldn't mash. I didn't have a food mill so I handed mashed them and then used a hand mixer.

As far as the asparagus goes I placed them in a single layer on a baking sheet. I drizzled the asparagus with olive oil and seasoned them with salt and pepper. Place in oven on 475 for about 15 minutes.

My sister, Megan, brought the cake...it was divine. She got it a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting from Standard Market; we will definitely be getting some bakery items from there in the future. I let Stella have a couple small licks of the frosting last night and she must have really like it because today she was pointing at the counter saying "pie" over and over again until I gave her a little lick.

Happy Birthday Mom! I hope you had a great night!

This meal was rated 3.5 asparagus spears

Day 2: Candy Cane Cookies

2011-12-09T22:21:00.000-06:00

Ever since I was a little kid Christmas has been my favorite time of year. There is something so magical about the Christmas season. This year is going to be especially exciting because S is now old enough to react to the beauty of Christmas lights and enjoys looking at the tree. She got the Fisher Price Nativity set last year for Christmas; it is so fun to watch her play with it. We have a little work to do on playing nicely with the Baby Jesus. The other night S placed him in her grocery cart with Clifford and took him for a spin and the wise men were eaten by her toy alligator, but we are working on it. I can’t believe I’m going to say this but I am actually looking forward to the first snowfall just to see her reaction. I imagine it will be something like, “oh, wow!” S and I have been having so much fun listening to Christmas music and dancing around the family room, she loves Jingle Bells and Up on the House Top. And even more exciting for Christmas this year will be the debut of my nephew. We will be meeting him in just 10 days (or maybe sooner). I’m so excited for Becky and Thierry!!!

For Day 2 of the Twelve Days of Christmas Celebration here is Becky’s favorite Christmas cookie, Candy Cane Cookies. My mom has made these cookies for years and unfortunately the copy of the recipe doesn’t say where it is from so I can’t give credit to the original author of the recipe. I will have to post the picture at a later date, once my mom makes her batch of these which will likely be this week sometime.

Ingredients

½ cup butter or margarine, softened

½ cup shortening

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 egg

1 ½ teaspoons almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ½ cups Gold Medal Flour *

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon red food color

½ cup crushed peppermint candy

½ cup granulated sugar

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix thoroughly butter, shortening, confectioners’ sugar, egg and flavorings. Blend in flour and salt. Divide dough in half; blend food color into one half.

Shape 1 teaspoon dough from each half into 4 inch-rope. For smooth, even ropes, roll them back and forth on lightly floured board. Place ropes side by side; press together lightly and twist. Complete cookies one at a time. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Curve top down to form handle of cane.

Bake about 9 minutes or until set and very light brown. Mix candy and granulated sugar. Immediately sprinkle cookies with candy mixture; remove from baking sheet.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

* If using Self-Rising flour, omit salt. If using Wondra Flour, stir 2 tablespoons milk into butter mixture.

Day 1: Chocolate Crackles

2011-12-08T21:09:00.001-06:00

We will begin the 12 days of Christmas celebration with my favorite cookie, Chocolate Crackles. I always associate these cookies with Christmas since my mom made them every year. As a kid I remember digging through the tins of cookies to find Chocolate Crackles and I would occasionally steal one or two. Sorry mom, that is why you never had quite as many as you thought you did for the cookie platters on Christmas Eve!!!

On Tuesday I was at the office fairly late so when I got home and found a small plate of Chocolate Crackles on the counter it made me smile! My mom had been watching S that day so during nap time she baked Christmas cookies. Thanks Mom :)

Ingredients
1 (1 lb 2 1/2 ounce) package devils food cake mix
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon water (sometimes you need a little more)
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
Confectioners sugar

Directions

Combine cake mix, water and shortening. Mix with spoon until well blended.
Shape dough into balls the size of small walnuts. Roll balls in confectioners sugar.
Place on greased baking sheets.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes

The recipe states that it makes 48 cookies (my mom has a note that she never gets that many)